Commission to review Bira Island analysis

JAKARTA (JP): The Environmental Impact Analysis Commission is scheduled to hold a meeting today on the environmental condition of Bira Island, Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno, head of the City Environment Office, said.

Aboejoewono, who is also secretary of the commission, told reporters yesterday that the meeting is being held to analyze the result of a study conducted by an independent consultant on the environmental destruction on the island.

"This will be the fourth meeting over the Bira Island case. This meeting is a bit later than promised," Aboejoewono said.

Last February, the commission turned down the developer's Bira Island study for the third time because it failed to meet the requirements.

The study is a mandatory assessment that must be presented by developers, to ensure that any development will not produce unwanted effects on the surrounding environment.

"The meeting is expected to be attended by representatives of all parties involved in this case, including commission itself, PT Pulau Seribu Paradise, the developer of Bira Island, and non- governmental organizations," he said.

When asked what is the best way to solve the matter, Aboejoewono said that restoring the island is the best answer. "I think to restore the island is the best choice," he said.

Executives of non-governmental organizations greeted the plan with pessimism because, according to them, the meeting will not produce any results.

Arimbi Heroeputri, of the Indonesian Environmentalist Forum, said that the meeting will not produce any new decision.

"The meeting is useless because similar meetings held earlier also failed to reach a decision to ban development of the island," Arimbi said.

She explained that, as the center of the Seribu Island National Park, there should be no activities on Bira Island. But, in reality, development on the island has taken one third of the park area.

"The owner and the developer have obviously violated the regulation," she added.

A researcher from the Indonesian Environmental Law Development Group, T.M. Luthfi Yazin, supported Arimbi's remarks, saying that it is impossible to restore the island because of various aspects.

"Financially the restoration will be expensive and take a long time, while environmentally, the natural sources on the island have already been damaged," Luthfi said.

Both organizations urged the city administration to close down the golf course built on the island and bring the island back to its original condition.

They also suggested that the case be ended by bringing the responsible parties to court.

"Officials, who issued the permit to go ahead with the project, as well as the developer, should be brought to court," Luthfi added. (yns/31)